Monday, September 1, 2014

While the debate continues over how much gas currently being explored in
deep offshore should be sold to foreign investors once its production starts,
experts have noticed that, with the use of gas Tanzania stands a better chance to
make stronger her economy by involving local firms. According to experts,
Tanzania is said to have a greater opportunity of transforming its national
economy and have better life for her citizens than any other East African
countries if it would make proper use of the recently discovered natural gas
reserve. BG East Africa President and Asset General Manager, Derek Hudson made
the observation in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday last week in an exclusive moment
after he had announced beneficiaries of scholarships for Masters Degree
programme which his company has offered to Tanzanians. The BG scholarship scheme,
which is part of the company’s social performance and local content strategy,
provides opportunities to 10 Tanzanians each year to study in the UK so as to
become part of the future workforce in Tanzania’s oil and gas sector. He
stressed that, BG East Africa will focus much on training and offering
scholarships to Tanzanians that will aim at equipping them with the modern
skills and expertise in the oil and gas sector. According to him, good national
policies for safeguards are required to be put in place in order to empower
private sector to ensure the development of the country's own gas and
electricity sector in general. However,
he noted that, although the cost of developing gas industry in Tanzania is
going to be more expensive, plenty of resources available can help transform
the national economy. “Tanzania has a
better chance of increasing its economy in future through gas industry if it
would make proper use of the gas by putting its policies that would lead the
sector more profitably”, he said.

BG East Africa President and Asset General Manager, Derek Hudson makes a point when he talked to journalists last week in Dar es Salaam.

However, he suggested that, one best way to
achieve this goal is by involving the local private sector companies which
would look at the availability of the market for the products in the country. Elaborating
the current development taking place on the exploration activities being undertaken
by the company in deep offshore, Adam Prince, an official with the BG Tanzania Ltd
said exclusively that, the recent gas discoveries have confirmed Tanzania as
one of world’s newest exploration hotspots and a prime target for the next wave
of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) exports. “With the continued success there is
potential to deliver gas to the domestic market as well as the development of
LNG”, he said adding that BG’s ongoing exploration activities is committed to
the development of local capacity and its desire to move forward with the LNG
project development in Tanzania. He underscored that the current exploration
investment his company is making will be able to produce gas after eight years
from now as already 5 wells out of 15 which covers 15 trillion cubic feet of
gas are 100 percent successful. He said these have been explored around 2,000
metres of water and are due to face a hard task of penetrating through rocky
hills down 4,000 metres deep and this is likely to last between 2 to 3 years
after which they would embark on building infrastructure to facilitate
production process. “It is not a secret that we have enjoyed significant
success in our exploration activities off the Tanzanian coast despite of
several hurdles such as the water depths which are full of numerous hills”, he
said adding that, their business plans are progressing and that are hopeful for
a long and fruitful presence in Tanzania. He said that his company which has
been licensed to do gas exploration activities since 2010 is willing to build
business with the government in conjunction with the public in an attempt to
help the country's economic growth. Tanzania has been exploring for oil and gas for
the past 60 years since 1952. The first natural gas discovery was made in 1974
at Songo Songo Island and at Mnazi Bay in 1982. The Songo Songo natural gas was
commercialised in 2004 and that of Mnazi Bay in 2006. In 2010 exploration
activities in the deep sea encountered commercial reserves for natural gas. To
date Tanzania stands at 32 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

AWARD 1

I won the second prize in policy category of the African Information society Initiative ( AISI) awards 2004 which is annually organized by the United Nations- Economic Commission for Africa ( UNECA) based in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia. On the first photo above standing with other awardees after the Ceremony at the National Settlers monument in Grahamstown, South Africa.This was during the 8th Highway Africa Conference.The second photo shows the cross section of Jounalists from different African countries who attended the ceremony.

AWARD 2

I also won the AISI-GKP/SDC Media Award special reporting on WSIS process and Africa, and conferred with the award in Tunis, Tunisia during WSIS summit in 2005. See the photo above.

AWARD 3

Winner on the Media Competition on writing about " Stigma denial and Discrimination" associated with HIV/AIDS. This was organized by theAssociation of Journalists Against Aids in Tanzania ( AJAAT). On the Photo above President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete of Tanzania, ( then the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation) was the guest of honour during the award giving ceremony.This was at Maelezo auditorium in Dar-es-Salaam September 2005.

AWARD 4

Winner on the Media Competition on writing about "Vulnerable Children" associated with HIV/AIDS This was organized by the Association of Journalists Against Aids in Tanzania ( AJAAT)

AWARD 5

Winner of the National ICT Media Award organized By SWOPNET in the Country. On the photo above Morogoro Regional Commissioner, Brigadier General ( Rt) Saidi Kalembo was the guest of honour during the award giving ceremony which was held at New Sarvoy Hotel in morogoro town.I was awarded a Mobile phone and a tape-recorder.

AWARD 6

I participated in the Media Competition in writing about VCT (Voluntary Counseling and Testing) in Tanzania which was held between July 15th and October 30th 2008 whereby I emerged among the top five winners. The competition was under the program known as “Tanzania bila Ukwimwi inawezekana” which literally means, Tanzania without AIDS disease transmission is possible”. This is a program which was organizedby the Association of Journalists Against AIDS in Tanzania (AJAAT) under TACAIDS funding. In the photo, I am being presented with a certificate of participation by the Chairman of the Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) Dr. Fatma Mrisho in a colorful ceremony which was held on 22nd December 2008 at Tanzania Information Centre in Dar es Salaam.

AWARD 7

AWARD 8

AWARD 9

I was among the top 17 best selected students who excelled in their final examinations of the 2010/2011 academic year and awarded with the Vice-Chancellor’s prize. I scored 4.5 GPA (First Class) in BA in Journalism. Above I am being given a certificate by the Chairman of the Open University of Tanzania Board of Senate. Standing at the centre facing camera is the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tolly Mbwette. Extreme left partly hidden is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Elifas Bisanda. This occasion took place during the convocation meeting, a day before the graduation day at the prospective permanent headquarter of the Open University of Tanzania which is currently under construction at Bungo-Kibaha in Coast region 40 kilometers away west of Dar es Salaam city.